Transgender bodybuilding father transforms himself into glamorous 6ft woman
A bodybuilding father has transformed himself into a glamorous woman after struggling with his gender for years.
Transgender Chrisie Edkins, 31, had spent hours in the gym - bulking up to 16stone - in an attempt to convince himself he was a typical alpha male.
But in private, Chris, who is 6ft, had been dressing as a woman for years - and in 2003, bravely decided to go public with his new identity and become Chrisie.
A full-time carer to her daughter Chloe, nine, Chrisie has faced a backlash from outraged neighbours and even been physically assaulted after announcing she was going to live as a woman.
But Ms Edkins, from Southampton, is adamant that being a woman doesn't stop her from being a good father.
She said: 'My daughter is amazingly understanding of my new life as a woman.
She's only nine but she's so mature for her age - more so than most adults.
'I did worry what effect me being Chrisie would have on her, but I think that having a happy parent is more important that having a male parent.
'My sex doesn't determine how good a parent I am, and it's taught Chloe to be accepting and understanding of other people.
'She knows not to judge people by what they look like.
'She has been teased a bit at school - but she can take it all in her stride. She just turns round to the bullies and tells them, 'My dad wants to be a girl", and they don't have a clue what to say back to her.'
When Chloe was born, Chrisie was Chris the mechanic. He also worked as an electrician and once ran a limousine business - where he was inundated with attention from women on hen nights.
But after years of being unhappy with her identity, Chrisie decided to make the leap.
Now a svelte 10.5stone, she has had make-up tattooed onto her face, hair extensions, as well as having laser hair treatment and hormone therapy - followed by a boob job giving her a 34D chest.
But despite her feminine looks, Chrisie insists that Chloe still calls her dad, rather than mum.
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Chris Edkins (pictured in 1998 on the left) decided to become a woman in 2003. She says she can't understand why people are so prejudiced against her decision
Chrisie, who has worked as a model and recently recorded an album, said: 'I didn't want to confuse Chloe by calling me something she wasn't used to.
'She accepted how I looked, and I knew she'd struggle with having two mummies more than a daddy who wore a dress.'
But she admits that not all of the mums that she meets on the school run are always as understanding as her daughter.
She has dealt with a barrage of abuse - from other mums sniping in the playground to a gang who burst into her home and beat her.
Chrisie when she was Chris: She said she would work out in the gym to try and deny who she was
She said: 'I was scared of people's reactions at first - it's hard enough to be a transgender person and deal with all the prejudice we face, let alone being transgender and trying to raise a child.
'In 2003, I changed my Facebook profile and let the world know who I really was.
'A lot of people were supportive, but some blanked me or removed me as a friend.
'The same night, I saw a black BMW pull up outside my house and three men in balaclavas jumped out.
'They burst into the house when Chloe was upstairs asleep and pulled me to the ground.
Father and daughter: Chrisie, 31, says she is still a good dad to Chloe, 9 and that her daughter is very accepting
'They kicked my body and head and left me in a bloody heap on the floor.
'I knew it was because I was living as a woman - it was too much of a coincidence not to be.
'I was so worried about Chloe seeing me battered and bruised. She was devastated.'
Chrisie added: 'I just can't understand why people are so ignorant and prejudiced.
'We're all people trying to make a life for ourselves - people like me exist, and if my daughter can cope with her daddy wanting to be a girl, the rest of the world should be able to as well.'
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